I've started running before work 4 or 5 days during the week in a bid to become more lean, and eventually improve my climbing. I'm two weeks in, and I've found that I just can't pull as hard when I climb at the gym in the evening.

Can anyone speak to this? Is this just my energy levels adjusting, or does running the same day you climb fundamentally curb your ability?

I've started running before work 4 or 5 days during the week in a bid to become more lean, and eventually improve my climbing. I'm two weeks in, and I've found that I just can't pull as hard when I climb at the gym in the evening.

Can anyone speak to this? Is this just my energy levels adjusting, or does running the same day you climb fundamentally curb your ability?

When I work out earlier in the day prior to climbing it sometimes seems to effect my later performance. Usually it happens if I wait too late in the day and don't have enough recovery time between (<4-5 hrs.). A not too intense run early in the day seems to be okay.

I find that as long as I drink plenty of water and sports drinks and have 4 or more hours of rest between riding hard and climbing it's not really noticeable. In fact I often climb better since I feel more flexible (I stretch after riding).

Very likely your energy levels are adjusting. You'll have to feel it out, likely 4-5 days a week is a little too intense to start off with. Either you'll burn out at this pace or your body will get used to it and you can continue.

you probably shouldn't compare yourself to Sasha DiGulian. You're probably overdoing it. I've tried to do cardio and train in the gym in the same day, and I find that it just doesn't really work, at least for me. You'd might be better off scaling back the running to non-climbing days and modifiying your diet to help achieve your weight loss goals. Give yourself some time to recover, but I guess that depends on how far your daily runs are. What sort of mileage do yo uput down in the morning?

I seem to have bounced back. Mileage is up to around 20 a week, and the gym sessions are improving. Though I've changed my schedule so I run the mornings I don't go to the gym. I'll continue to play with the schedule as I add miles.

I've been drinking a lot more water and eating a bit more. I need to do better about having some good food available after the gym, which is quite late. I usually metro home, which takes at hour, then wolf something down before crashing.

I need to do something like that. Though, I've been trying to avoid products like protein bars, and keep with real, mostly vegan, food (and when I diverge I would like it to be in the form of dry-aged, grassfed ribeye). I should probably load up on trailmix.

I would not eat fruit before bed because of the sugars in it. Although they are natural sugars you are not going to be doing anything but rebuilding muscle while you sleep so the sugars may be stored as fat if you eat too much. I know whenever I get done working out I come home and eat like some tuna salad or chicken with some type of vegetable. That way I am getting protein and carbs so i can rebuild my muscle while my body rests. Hey I also have a question for the OP how are you motivating yourself to get up and run everyday? Are you just sucking it up or are you like mentally preparing your self? Or whatever you do I would like to know so I can try it because I stink at making myself run.

In a average week I will run anywhere between 4 and 8 miles 5 days a week, and one of those is usually a long run 15+ miles. For a short time it affected my climbing, but now I have adjusted and I do my low intensity endurance workouts on running days. If I am doing a strength workout or climbing outside I do it on non running days. If I am getting enough sleep and eating well running does not seem to hold me back with climbing. Now that my body has adjusted I think that doing two workouts, run/climb, in one day really helps prepare for long days in the mountains where they may be a long strenuous approach before the climbing even starts.

Others probably know more than me, but I am not to sure that running will help much for general crag climbing, other than weight loss. Running works a completely different system in my body then climbing does. I only do it because love trail running, and it is good for alpine climbing. All of my friends who are much stronger then me keep telling saying that if I put half of my running time into more climbing training I could be much stronger as well.

Do any of you out there think that running has helped your climbing beyond weight loss?

Do any of you out there think that running has helped your climbing beyond weight loss?

Absolutely and not just a little bit. I try run 15 mi of trails a week in three days. Running always affects my climbing and I don't do both in one day. Running builds my endurance for every sport I do and it builds more strength than others give it credit for.

Use running to help peak when you want. I like run hard for a few months before a trip, or climbing season and the stop a couple of weeks before. I get an instant bump of at least a grade.

IME eating before sleeping is a bad idea. The body works best with 12-14 hrs of daily fasting. It needs that time for better nutrient absorption that is inhibited when food keeps entering the digestive system. If your working out late then just try having a later breakfast or lighter then normal breakfast. I have been experimenting with this and have really enjoyed the results.

I agree that eating after a workout is essential. However I have seen real positive benefits when I maintain the 12-14 hour daily fast. Which obviously means that breakfast is delayed the following day. This is my experience, so please take with a grain of salt but I highly recommend that book, it's a thick read but very informative and providers a different view from western science view of nutrition.

If anyone reading has relevant input about their experience with combining running, eating and climbing; I would love to hear what works and what doesn't.

I on't disagree that fasting is great for the body. The body is constantly digesting food and you need to give it some reprieve from that so it can do other things like repair, flush, heal etc. I completely agree fasting is beneficial.

My point was a fast should not occur after a work-out. So in this I think we are in agreement as well. Eat after your work-out then delay breakfast the next day to honor the fast.

Why doesn't the heart need to a reprieve from pumping blood, or the liver from cleaning out toxins, or the kidneys from filtering blood, or the bladder from peeing? I've seen research that decreased calorie diets can decrease risk for major diseases compared to normal kcal diets, but little research on fasting except after famines such as holocaust and the irish potato famine. They find these forced "fastes" increase risk for obesity and other major illnesses.

You are right about exercise and eating though, its easy to find the research that shows eating within 2 hours of finishing activity improves recovery, and helps decrease muscle loss and fatigue. Just my 2 cents.

bentgate03 wrote:

I on't disagree that fasting is great for the body. The body is constantly digesting food and you need to give it some reprieve from that so it can do other things like repair, flush, heal etc. I completely agree fasting is beneficial.

My point was a fast should not occur after a work-out. So in this I think we are in agreement as well. Eat after your work-out then delay breakfast the next day to honor the fast.

The body works best with 12-14 hrs of daily fasting. It needs that time for better nutrient absorption that is inhibited when food keeps entering the digestive system.

I don't need to eat frequently, but noone else in my family could go nearly that long. They need to eat regularly, very regularly, and none of them are over weight.

He is saying that the 8 hours of sleep you get per night (lol) are included in that 12-14 hours. So basically eat dinner at 6 pm, go to bed at 9, wake up at 5, don't eat until 8 am or so. I could understand not being able to wait that long in the morning, but I don't think that's what you meant. I also don't agree with the idea of 12-14 hours of fasting. Sounds like somebody elses gimmicky diet to me.

As for running, I also feel worn out and smoked if I run 4 or more times a week. However I am trying to lose weight so I'm running VERY hard and also incorporate weight training.

Before, I used to wake up and run six miles every morning at a 7-8 minute mile pace 5 days a week. I never felt weak. My legs felt mechanical. But I wasn't trying to lose weight.